Wear striations on the incisors of ceropithecid monkeys as an index of diet and habitat preference.

Wear striations on the incisiors of Old World monkeys were examined in order to determine associations between the distributions of striations, diet and habitat preference. Significant differences exist between the Cercopithecinae and the Colobinae in respect to the orientation of incisor wear striations. In the Colobinae striations are oriented in a predominantly mesiodistal direction. In the Cercopithecinae straitions usually have a labiolingual orientation. Comparisons of terrestrial and arboreal genera indicate that significant differences exist between the two groups in respect to the density of striations on the occlusal wear facets of maxillary central incisiors. Arboreal and terrestrial monkeys also differ in the frequency of individual incisor wear facets completely devoid of wear striations.